Syrian opposition activists reported Friday that a government official has been killed at a Damascus restaurant, the latest assassination in the country's ongoing unrest.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights says gunmen stormed a restaurant in the upscale neighborhood of Mazzeh late Thursday and killed Ali Ballan, the head of public relations at Syria's Ministry of Social Affairs.

Syria has witnessed several recent assassinations. Last month, a suicide bombing at a Damascus mosque killed pro-government cleric Mohammed al-Buti.

Extremists have been playing a bigger role among rebel groups recently in Syria as the two-year uprising drags on with no sign of ending.

The Observatory also reported that fighting continued Friday between government and rebel forces south of the capital.